BURLINGTON — A University of Vermont professor has won a $400,000 National Science Foundation Career Award for his research proposal on “smart” electrical grids.

Dr. Paul Hines, a professor in the UVM College of Engineering and Mathematics Sciences, has proposed research on “harnessing smart grid data to enable resilient and efficient electricity.”

He said the research would study ways to use smart grid data to find patterns of vulnerability in power systems, and would use the results to reduce the risk of cascading power blackouts.

Hines said the award provides the unique opportunity to conduct research that may lead to technology making power grids more resilient, including the ability to better incorporate variable power sources, such as wind power.